What's this? And update?! Yes, it's finally here. I hope it's worth the wait, and I'm hugely grateful to you wonderful people who have kept waiting so long and encouraging me to keep going with this fic.

Disclaimer: Glee's not mine, etc., etc.


"Finn," he feels a tiny hand patting his arm, "Finn."

"Mmmm, what is it, Rach?" he murmurs sleepily, leaning his head up automatically in search of her lips. She complies and bends her head forward to kiss him softly.

"We need something to eat. Our food supply has run out completely."

He blinks slowly, smiling when he opens his eyes to see her blurry face inches from his.

"We'll get something later, baby. Got a headache. I just wanna rest," His words all slur together and he feels her hand stroking his hair, the rhythm lulling him back towards sleep.

Rachel's voice is soft and soothing as she speaks.

"Okay, how about I go get us something quickly and I'll wake you up when I'm back?"

She takes his vague mumbles as an assent to her suggestion, and Finn feels her lips press a gentle kiss against his cheek before he slips back into unconsciousness.

….

A loud clattering shakes him awake and he sits up, blinking slowly to rid his brain of the last foggy traces of sleep.

"Is it breakfast time, yet, baby?" he murmurs, looking round. His heart falters for a second when he realises she's still not here. In a second, he's on his feet, the adrenaline suddenly pumping round his body. He sways on the spot, his vision clouded by black patches from standing up too quickly.

"Rach?!" he calls loudly, hoping she'll just have stepped outside for a moment.

A quick glance out from under the bridge and he recognises that clattering sound as the noise of hailstones bouncing off the corrugated metal and scattering on the ground.

"Shit," he curses, his mind instantly coming up with the fifty worst scenarios. He sticks his head out, intent on going to find Rachel, but the wind is howling around him and the hailstones are battering painfully against his face, even as he takes five steps down the street.

"Rach? RACHEL?" his voice is sucked up in the gale, diffusing into the storm and getting lost amongst the pitter-patter of bouncing stones and the cracking of tree branches.

He jogs to the end of the street, bellowing repeatedly in vain. In a moment of madness, he considers sprinting into the town to find her. But his head is pounding and he's already shivering and he knows the practical thing to do is to go back and wait for her in the warm, instead of getting sick from being out in this weather.

Reluctantly, Finn calls her name a couple more times, before the hail starts to fall impossibly harder, obscuring his vision almost completely, and he's left with no choice but to run back under the bridge for shelter.

He starts up a fire with the wood and some old newspapers they keep stashed in a corner, and curls up beside the flames, shaking. Bracing himself, he slips off his jacket and holds it out towards the heat, hoping it'll dry quicker that way.

His mind is running on overtime, considering every possible situation Rachel could be in. God, she could be anywhere. The thought is almost enough to make him abandon camp and sprint back outside to try and find her no matter what, but he tries to think logically; breathes deep and reminds himself that she's been doing this far longer than he has, and she must have survived so many thunder storms alone before. It makes his heart ache to imagine an even tinier, even younger version of Rachel stumbling through the streets like a drowned rat against the relentless downpour.

Finn closes his eyes, counting the minutes away, praying to whatever God there is that she's just waiting out the storm in a shop doorway or something.

What if she fell in the dumpster again? What if a car hydroplaned and she didn't see and –?

Scraping and banging from outside cuts off his mental doomsday scenario and he whips his head around so fast his neck cricks in the process, in time to see the shuddering corrugated metal part as a miniscule figure rushes in.

She's there, her long brown hair plastered to her head and hanging in straggly rats' tails down to her waist, her cardigan more water than wool and her dress plastered so closely to her figure it may as well be painted on.

"I'm so sorry, Finn, I got caught in the –"

Finn lets out a weird gasp verging on a sob and leaps up, pulling her to him, not caring about the way her drenched clothing instantly soaks his own.

"God, Rachel, don't you ever scare me like that again," he mutters into her neck.

She lets him hold her for a moment, a long moment, and then pulls back to look at him.

"I'm sorry, I got caught in the rain on the way into town and I thought it would be easier to just carry on and hope it cleared up and then it didn't so I hid inside the back service door of a grocery store and then this man found me and threw me out because he thought I was stealing, and then I tried to run back here but I got lost because the hail was so hard and I couldn't see."

She explains it all in one long breath, pressing her head against his chest and keeping her arms wrapped around him.

"Don't worry baby, I'm just so glad you're safe," he says, revelling in the way her bony arms dig into him as her body trembles violently against his. She looks up at him, her brown eyes blinking and wet.

"I forgot what it's like to have someone to worry about me," she whispers.

He can't tell if the droplets on her face are rain or tears.

"I will always worry about you, Rachel" he promises, his voice gruff. They hold each other's gaze for an undetermined moment before she surges forward to kiss him, with more passion than he's ever felt from her before.

His several unsuccessful attempts to pull back end up in multiple pecks of her lips against his, again and again until he finally gathers himself enough to tell her she needs to dry off her clothes.

Suddenly the air between them is awkward. Rachel blushes, ducking her head and twisting the end of her cardigan, creating a puddle on the ground as she wrings it out. She takes it off and lays it out on the crate next to the fire, then removes her squelching, battered shoes and places them next to it.

Then she falters, and Finn feels his face growing hot because her dress is so wet it's completely sticking to her and, well, he can see things a little more clearly than he should.

"I – uh – sorry," he's not sure what he's apologising for but it makes her smile a little.

"I think maybe I need to…take this off too if I don't want to get sick," Rachel suggests awkwardly, "Maybe you could, um, turn around?"

"Yeah, um, yes, of course," Finn almost trips over his own feet as he turns around, screwing his eyes shut tightly.

He hears rustling and then, a short while after, giggling, which makes him open his eyes curiously.

"You can turn round now, Finn," Rachel tells him, and he does, looking down to see her huddled in their sleeping bag.

"Feeling warmer?" he asks, checking his jacket and discovering that it's both warm and dry. He holds it out to her and she smiles gratefully.

"You, um, might need to turn around again while I put this on. I've never been able to afford a bra," she blushes, uttering the last word in the tiniest whisper, her cheeks scarlet with embarrassment.

Finn spins around again and tries really, really hard not to imagine Rachel's boobs.

"Done," she announces, watching him turn back and crouch next to her.

She's still shaking with cold, even though she's swamped by his jacket, and Finn reaches a hand out to stroke a few strands of wet hair off her face.

"Would it be weird if I got in too? Just to warm you up, you know. Like normal," he keeps his voice as casual as he can. It's nothing unusual for them to share the sleeping bag – they do it every night – but Rachel is wearing significantly less clothing than usual and Finn's jeans are actually still damp from the storm which means he'll need to take them off if he wants to avoid making her even colder again.

"Sure," Rachel smiles easily and unzips the side of the sleeping bag enough for him to get in.

He slips off his jeans and lays them out flat by the fire, then slides in next to her, zipping them both in expertly. When he finally shifts around to get comfy, he wraps his arms around Rachel and she presses herself against his chest, their body heat beginning to keep them both at a comfortable temperature.

Finn kisses the top of her head and listens to her breathe against his chest.

"You scared me so much today," he murmurs, "I really care about you Rachel."

Her eyes blink softly and meet his.

"I really care about you too," she admits, a gentle honesty in her voice.

It's quiet as they lie there, looking at each other, savouring the feeling of their bodies pressed together. Finn does his best not to focus on that part, but it's not an easy task, considering how close his junk is pressed against her.

Rachel shifts a little, trying to get comfy, and her thigh brushes right against him, making draw in a sharp breath.

"What?" she asks innocently, her eyes full of concern.

"Nothing," he answers quickly.

He sees her eyes drop down furtively, then her confused expression is suddenly replaced with a mixture of understanding and embarrassment.

"I'm sorry."

"No, um, don't be."

He wonders if that was a bit too forward. Rachel is, understandably, very wary about personal boundaries, so Finn is always so careful about how far he goes when they kiss. Even their hottest makeouts have still been restricted to a very gentle grazing of her neckline and the occasional hands wandering for a moment over her dress, before he forces himself to gain control before he scares her.

She doesn't look like she minds his response though. Instead, she ducks her head and mumbles,

"I don't really know much about sex. Santana told me the basics but I don't … I haven't…" She trails off, pressing her head into his chest with embarrassment.

Finn kisses her head lightly, keeping his lips against her damp hair as he thinks. He doesn't know how long Rachel's been out here, but almost certainly she's never had a sex talk in health class in her life. It's a weird thought, and he suddenly feels an overwhelming rush of protectiveness and, well, love for her.

That's a thought he hasn't let himself ponder on too much. His feelings for Rachel are like nothing he's ever known before, and a funny nervous feeling runs all through his body when he thinks about being in love with her. But maybe that's what this is. This never-ending desire to hold her and to shelter her and to keep her close every second of every day. Maybe that's love.

"Rach?" he whispers, keeping his head against hers, "Do you trust me?"

She nods.

"I don't trust anyone. But I can't help it when it comes to you."

Her voice is fragile but beautiful, and her face is the same when Finn pulls back a little so they're level with each other.

"I want to make you feel good," he tells her, studying her eyes intently.

"You already do."

"No… I mean, good. In a different way."

Rachel swallows, her eyes flickering rapidly.

"I don't think I'm ready to do that," she whispers.

"Not all the way," Finn promises, "I'm not going to hurt you. This is… different."

Rachel hesitates, her uncertainty plain on her face until she looks boldly back into his eyes, nodding slowly.

"Please be careful."

"Just stop me at any time you want," Finn tells her gently, kissing her nose.

Their breathing grows heavier as he holds his lips against her face, then slides them down to capture her lips. It's heart-melting and slow at first, then their kisses morph into something powerfully and electrically charged.

This isn't new to them, and their tongues quickly tangle in that familiar way, both of them savouring the contact. They're breathing hard when Finn draws back a little and meets her eyes, holding her vulnerable chocolate gaze as he gently undoes the zipper on his jacket, revealing her naked body underneath.

She's stick-thin, but somehow still so beautiful. Her petite breasts rise and fall with her shaky breaths, and Finn pauses for a moment before raising his hand to cup one, stroking his thumb over the nipple.

"Okay?" he checks.

Rachel lets out the tiniest whimper in response, and he takes that as a signal to continue, slowly sliding his mouth down over the hollow of her neck to her chest. He's working her up gently, making sure she's absolutely comfortable before he tries anything else. Judging by the whimpers she keeps making, he seems to be getting it right.

His mouth moves back up to her lips again, his hand continuing to rub her breasts. Rachel instinctively shifts her legs, pressing herself against him. Finn knows it's okay to continue, and he lets his hand trace the line of her stomach, skirting the edge of her panties, keeping his lips firmly attached to hers all the while.

"Finn," she moans quietly against his mouth, kissing him more fiercely.

Carefully, he dips his hand below the elastic, his fingers feeling their way down to the soft folds of her skin, damp with arousal. His fingers part them, and he slides one up the warm slit, making her whimper again and press herself into him.

Finn blows out a long breath, calming himself down and forcing all his concentration on Rachel, on how he's making her feel.

"Finn," she whispers again, more urgently this time. Her breathing is shallow against his face and he glances up to see her eyes fluttering as she tries to look at him through her haze of arousal.

She's warm and wet against his fingers and her chest is rising and falling quicker and quicker as he works them against her. He slides the pad of his thumb up to press against her clit and she gasps sharply, arching her back.

"Finn – something's happening – I need –" her voice is unsteady, breathless.

He keeps going, kissing her again and working his hand against her, feeling the tension in her body rising.

Suddenly, Rachel's eyes screw shut and she clenches her fists, her mouth opening silently at first. Her body goes rigid and a forced moan escapes her lips as Finn feels her climax against him.

Gradually, her body relaxes, and she opens her eyes, breathing deeply.

"Okay?" Finn asks her again. She laughs shakily and kisses him.

"Amazing."

Finn's still rock-hard against her leg, but he imagines dead kittens and that time he hit the mailman with his car to calm himself down. The last thing he wants is to pressure Rachel into feeling like she has to do something for him if she's not comfortable with it. Baby steps, remember?

"I liked that… a lot," Rachel admits, her face still flushed.

"You're even more beautiful when you're happy," Finn tells her, pulling her closer against him.


So, this was kind of a fluffy filler, but there's still that mystery of Rachel's past hanging over them... you'll find out more about that soon! Your reviews, as always, are much appreciated!